Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiko Corporation

Seiko Communications Holding N.v.

At&e Corporation

Seiko Communications Systems Inc.

Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc

Seiko Communication Systems

Other

Seiko Instruments Inc

Coppergate Communications Ltd.

Seiko Corp. and Seiko Epson Corp.

Seiko Telecommunication Systems, Inc.

Larry H. Mukai

Garold B. Gaskill

William H. Peek

Garold B Gaskill

Daniel J Park

Don G Hoff

Dimitri Dimitriadis

Joseph F Stiley, Iii

Takehide Yamada

Robert G Rullman

Donald T Rose

Lewis W Barnum

Lawrence Ragan

Bruce C Nepple

William H Peek

Larry H Mukai

James E Petranovich

Sherman Leon Gavette

Deepak V Ayyagari

Carl Mansfield

Steven H Gardner

Michael C Park

Daniel Park

Lawrence H Ragan

Neal Riedel

Clifford B Schrock

Dennis J O'Brien

Norbert E Dey

James K Collar

Carl D Shanks

Rick T Wells

Randolph E King

Danial J Park

Michael Miles

Teresa M Gaskill

Dennis J O'brien

The invention is directed to a dynamically reconfigurable network comprising a plurality of nodes having respective transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving respective signals to and from one another. In one embodiment, the network is adapted to determine whether a first maximum power can be found at which a first node can transmit a first signal that provides a minimum signal-to-noise ratio at a second node without exceeding a maximum signal-to-noise ratio that a third node requires to simultaneously receive a second signal from a fourth node. If the first maximum power cannot be found, the network is further adapted to cause the first, second, third, and fourth nodes to share a single sub-network. Alternatively, if the first maximum power can be found, the network is adapted to cause the first and second nodes to share a single sub-network that the third node is not permitted to share.

Dynamically reconfigurable wired network

Provided is a frame structure for filtered OFDM signaling, wherein once every frame a central controller passes redundant broadcast data for a short time (e.g. 16 symbol times) over all frequencies in use. This broadcast, called a beacon, may carry control information, frame structure information, and other data. The rest of the frame is divided into other assignments, including broadband redundantly coded channels for broadcast, ALOHA contention access, or point-to-point transmissions, and including traffic channels that may use only some of the assigned frequencies intended primarily for point-to-point access. This allows a mix of TDMA and FDMA point-to-point and broadband access. This system may be controlled by a central coordinator, which issues reservations. This system allows devices on a frequency-selective channel to communicate with scheduled operations.

Frame structure for OFDM signaling, including beacons and traffic

A method of providing backwards compatibility of a new TDMA system with an existing CSMA/CA system, wherein the CSMA/CA system includes asynchronous packet transmission, and wherein the TDMA system includes synchronous packet transmission, and wherein both systems transmit and receive over the same communication channel, including providing a control coordinator; dividing the TDMA system's frame into sub-frames for use by the CSMA/CA system and the TDMA system; and generating delimiters by the control coordinator to gain, retain and relinquish control of the communication channel from the CSMA/CA system, and wherein the delimiters are transmitted during guard bands of the TDMA system.

Method to provide backward compatibility with an existing CSMA/CA system via dual use of the new system's transmission transition guard slot interval

A highly reliable radio paging system with a combination of time, frequency and spacial diversity in order to increase the reliability of the system. Time diversity is provided by broadcasting the same message at a number of different times. Spacial diversity is achieved by broadcasting the same message from a number of different locations. Frequency diversity is achieved by broadcasting the same message at a number of different frequencies. The paging receiver is designed to receive messages on a number of different frequencies; however, the pager only responds to a message the first time that it receives the particular message. The combination of time, frequency, and spacial diversity provide a highly reliable radio paging system.

Paging system with spacial, frequency and time diversity

A method of power control for use in a communications network having plural transceiver communications nodes therein, including, in an initiator node, transmitting a first signal at a first power level to a responder node; in the responder node, measuring and storing, a first signal level for the first signal and a first signal responder noise level; determining responder reception characteristic information; and sending a second signal to the initiator node; in the initiator node, measuring and storing, the second signal signal level and second signal initiator noise level; and sending a third signal to the responder node; in both the initiator node and the responder node, determining a subsequent data transmit signal power and data rate; and transmitting data at the subsequent data transmit signal power and data rate.

Method to reduce interference and increase effective capacity of power line networking systems

The present invention provides a highly reliable radio paging system. The radio paging system of the present invention provides a combination of time, frequency and spacial diversity in order to increase the reliability of the system. Time diversity is provided by broadcasting the same message at a number of different times. Spacial diversity is achieved by broadcasting the same message from a number of different locations. Frequency diversity is achieved by broadcasting the same message at a number of different frequencies. The paging receiver according to the present invention is designed to receive messages on a number of different frequencies; however, the pager only responds to a message the first time that it receives the particular message. The combination of time, frequency, and spacial diversity provided by the present invention results in a highly reliable radio paging system.

Selectable receiver addressing is used to control how messages are output from different receivers. Users selectively enable and disable personal addresses in the receiver. The receiver polls time slots where the data for enabled addresses may be transmitted. Enabled addresses are compared with transmitted receiver addresses. If the transmitted address matches one of the enabled receiver addresses, the message is output to the receiver user. If the transmitted address does not match the receiver address, the message is not processed and, accordingly, the receiver operator is not disturbed.

User selectable receiver addresses for wireless communication systems

A portable communication device which also has an infrared transceiver. A portable communication device can automatically establish infrared communication sessions with another portable communication device or desktop computer having an infrared transceiver. The portable communication device and the other device may exchange textual and graphical information, as well as the current time, and then reconcile the newly received information with that information in possession before the communication session began. Multiple portable communication devices and computers may communicate, while conserving battery power, using a time division multiplexing scheme where the infrared transceivers are active during a short, periodic time slots. Multiple communication session may overlap in time as long as they are not active during the same time slot.

Portable wireless communication device

Small electronic information storage and display devices such as paging devices with a limited number of control buttons allow user navigation of complex data structures by use of a single control button. Where a user has opportunity to branch within the data structure, the duration of control button actuation determines the selected branch. During the predetermined time interval, the user has visual indication of the item to be next displayed if the user maintains actuation of the control button. In this manner, a single control button supports navigation functions as might normally be established by two buttons such as a cursor right button and a cursor down button. Incorporating a second control button under the present invention supports a cursor left and a cursor up button. In this fashion, navigation of complex data structures occurs naturally and intuitively without requiring more than a limited number of control buttons.

Single button control for information display

Utensil-holder attachment for containers

A combined audio receiver and data receiver act in cooperation to serve audio presentation, digital collateral data presentation, and paging functions. The data receiver activates intermittently according to a time-division multiplexed broadcast protocol to receive paging data during brief time slots. At other times, the data receiver tunes to a frequency matching that of the audio receiver to receive digital collateral data descriptive of the audio presentation.

Low power data receiver combined with audio receiver

Pager data is transmitted at different subcarrier frequencies on different FM broadcast channels. The subcarrier frequency of the pager data is selected to avoid conflicts with signals transmitted from other systems. The pager receiver decodes data at any one of the multiple subcarrier frequencies according to the active subcarrier used on the currently tuned broadcast channel. In one embodiment, the subcarrier frequency of the pager data is contained in control packets of a time division multiplexed data frame. The receiver decodes the control packets to determine which broadcast frequencies and associated subcarrier frequencies contain potential pager signals. The receiver accordingly searches the identified broadcast frequency and automatically reconfigures a circuit demodulator to decode data packets at the identified subcarrier frequencies.

Paging system with multiple baseband subcarriers

A pager receives a wireless telecommunication message from central paging terminal. Upon successful transmission of the message to the pager, the message is acknowledged initiating transmission of an acknowledge signal from the pager. The pager transmits the acknowledge signal to one of a variety of different secondary transmission sources. The secondary transmission source then relays the acknowledge signal back to a receiver associated with the central paging terminal. The acknowledge signal is either physically initiated by depressing a switch on the pager or is automatically initiated by the pager upon receiving the message. Energy efficiency of the pager is further increased by periodically broadcasting and polling for available secondary transmission sources.

Acknowledge back pager using secondary transmission source

A paging system repeatedly broadcast each message and associates a sequential message number with each paging message. The message number in each message serves two functions. First, the message number is used to determine if the same message was previously received and second, when a subscriber reviews the messages, missing messages can be readily detected by skipped message numbers. All messages that are transmitted are also stored at a clearinghouse and a subscriber can telephone the clearinghouse facility and request that particular missed messages be retransmitted or given by voice response over the telephone.

Paging system with message numbering prior to transmission

A receiver operates in both a first polling protocol and in a selectable data acquisition protocol to both conserve power while quickly read long messages in wireless one-way communication systems. The receiver first polls data transmissions at a relatively slow periodic rate to identify messages. When the receiver identifies a corresponding address in the data transmission, a format packet directs the receiver to acquire data using a second data acquisition protocol independent of the polling protocol. The data acquisition protocol enables long messages to be communicated in a fast, highly reliable manner. After the long message is successfully transmitted, the receiver automatically reverts back into a polling protocol to conserve power.

Transmitting and receiving long messages in a wireless one-way

Growing community of inventors

Tualatin, OR, United States of America

Garold B Gaskill